Harry Potter and the Ghostwizards of Hogwarts /RGB
by Campi
Summary: Real Ghostbusters and Harry Potter crossover, set in the Potter universe. 36 pages.


***Harry Potter and the   
Ghostwizards of Hogwarts**  


____________________________________________________  
  
The universe of [Harry Potter][1] is borrowed __from a series of very   
famous British novels written by Joanne Rowling.   
___________________________________________________   
_

  
'Peeves!'   
......The poltergeist in question obviously didn't think he had time to look up when Hermione cried out his name. His bell-covered hat and his orange bow-tie was no more than a colourful blur when he zoomed up and down the corridor. His wide, malicious face was seen for no more than half a second when he briefly stopped, chuckled in anticipation, and threw another fruit and a few squishy grapes.   
......Some ended up on the paintings, where the portraits screamed and tried to duck under their frames. A few left their paintings, scrubbing stains from their collars, showing up in a painting next to their own, or simply dashing to a painting on the next floor. Ron saw how a bowl of fruit tried to wriggle away in a painting right in front of him, before it got decorated with a layer of tomato. The bowl clattered when it obviously fell off the painted table.   
......'PEEVES!' Hermione called out again, fuming.   
......'There's no use,' said Harry and shrugged. 'You know what he's like.'   
......'I'll see to that,' said Hermione and put down the full dozen books she had been carrying. 'I'm sure I saw something here, just let me …'   
......Her voice tailed away when she picked the heaviest book, propped it open against the pile and grabbed her wand.   
......'Hermione, what are you doing?' asked Ron in a slightly worried tone.   
......'I've almost found it,' Hermione muttered under her breath, flipping pages.   
......Peeves the poltergeist threw an apple at her, which bounced off her shoulder, making her turn around. Ron picked up the apple, threw it back at Peeves and watched it fly right through him, before it hit the chandelier in the ceiling. It started swaying, causing Peeves to roar with laughter and clap his hands.   
......'Here it is!' said Hermione in satisfaction.   
......'Go ahead!' suggested Ron, not at all reluctant anymore.   
......'Are you sure this is -' started Harry.   
......'_Ecto intimidenta!_' Hermione broke him off, flicking her wand.   
......'Hah! That ought to do the trick!' cheered Ron. 'Peeves, don't you forget we know that spell from now on!'   
......A soft _pop_ was heard in the corridor, and a man materialized a few feet from Hermione. Her mouth fell open while her arm, holding the wand, lowered in sheer surprise. 

  
..The two to react the quickest were Peeves, taking off, screaming shrilly in alarm. The other was Harry, who grabbed his wand and shouted '_Expelliarmus!_', making the man's weapon fall to the ground.   
......"Great spell, Hermione!' said Ron. 'It really made Peeves bolt out of here in no-time!'   
......'That … that …' stuttered Hermione, slowly pointing at the man. 'That's not …'   
......'Thanks for the help,' said Ron and shook the tall blond man's hand. 'We're very satisfied. You can leave now.'   
......'Leave?' repeated the man in the pale blue coveralls, obviously trying to grasp the situation.   
......'That's not what's supposed to happen!' gasped Hermione. 'What's he doing here?'   
......Ron let go of the man's hand, stepping back and picking up his wand.   
......'You mean, he's not a part of the spell?' asked Harry.   
......'Spell?' echoed the newcomer.   
......'I'll read through the explanation again,' offered Hermione, going red in the face.   
......'Don't you move!' Ron called out, when the man bent to pick up his weapon. 'You jinx!'   
......'What does it say?' asked Harry the speedily reading Hermione.   
......'That the spell will take advantage of the latest and best way discovered to intimidate and take care of ghosts,' she replied.   
......The man adjusted his red-rimmed glasses, looking somewhat proud.   
......'Don't tell me he's the best way? A guy?' said Harry. 'Is he a wizard, or something?'   
......'A wizard, who hasn't heard of spells?' reminded Ron. 'It must be a Muggle.' He stopped, eyes wide. 'How can a Muggle apparate at Hogwarts? Didn't you say impossible to apparate here, Hermione?'   
......'It _is_!' answered Hermione, looking very alarmed. 'The spell - it was never supposed to be a Muggle who'd be the best! It wasn't supposed to be a person at all, not even a wizard! It's always a method, not a man!'   
......The man in question offered Hermione to shake hands. She did so without second thought.   
......'My name's Doctor Egon Spengler,' he introduced himself. 'I'm a Ghostbuster.'   
......'An American!' said Ron.   
......'Yes,' Egon confirmed. 'From New York. I was there, and the next second, I was here. I'd wish for you to send me back, so I can assist my colleagues. We were currently busting a class seven manifestation, and I wouldn't want to worry them by disappearing.'   
......'I'd send you back, if there was a counter-spell,' said Hermione, nervously looking in her book. 'Like I said, the spell was supposed to summon a method, not a … a Ghostbuster.'   
......'A spell, that was?' asked Egon, taking a few steps in order to look over her shoulder and study her book. 'Is this some form of magic parallel universe?'   
......'Yeah,' muttered Ron. 'It's called England'.   
......Egon hesitated, looking at the redheaded boy.   
......'England? Great Britain?' he asked.   
......'This guy's bright,' said Ron and smiled.   
......'I'd say you're still in the same universe,' explained Harry. 'It's just a mishap. We'll get you back - won't we, Hermione?'   
......'Yes, yes,' said Hermione and nodded energetically, while studying her book.   
......She was blushing, and Ron suspected it was not only because she was the one to have mistakenly summoned an American Muggle at Hogwarts. He knew that she admired and fancied bright men, and the title alone suggested that Doctor Egon Spengler must be.   
......'Should we go tell Professor Dumbledore?' advised Ron. 'He'll have to find out about this sooner or later. No Muggle must know of Hogwarts, so this guy needs the Obliviate Memory Charm before he's sent back.'   
......Hermione seemed startled. She looked from Ron to Harry and back again, very reluctantly. She was often the one to point out that they should tell Professor Dumbledore when things went wrong, but when she single-handedly had put them in trouble, she wasn't so keen on the idea anymore.   
......'Can't we wait until I find a counter-spell?' she pleaded, studying her book even more intensively. 'Maybe it'll have the effect of a Memory Charm!'   
......Harry and Ron smiled, looking dead serious again when Hermione glanced at them.   
......'Am I correct, if I say I was summoned here by the help of a magic spell, in order to deal with a ghost?' asked Egon.   
......'Yes,' said Hermione in a strange muffled way, still red in the face.   
......'The ghost fled, the moment it saw me?' he continued.   
......'Yeah, your looks must be really scary - ow!'   
......She had kicked Ron's foot, which wasn't exactly small sized. He hopped around for a few seconds, watched by the slightly wondering newcomer.   
......'This suggests, that I -' Egon stopped, clearing his throat. 'That I am the so-called best way to deal with the supernatural, picked by this spell?'   
......'Don't get cocked up,' muttered Ron, jumping aside when Hermione tried to kick his other foot.   
......'Yes,' confirmed Hermione with that even more muffled voice. 'Yes, you're the best.'   
......An odd kind of smile reached the corners of Egon's mouth, before he became the serious scientist again. 'Fascinating,' he said.   
......'I think I've found the counter-spell,' announced Hermione and pointed at a paragraph in her book. 'It doesn't seem to include a Memory Charm, so maybe we should wait?'   
......'Wait?' repeated Harry, then realizing what she was at.   
......'Well, we'd talk it through,' said Hermione and looked briefly at Egon, her face turning even redder. 'Maybe ask Professor Dumbledore, after all. He won't be back until tomorrow.'   
......'Tomorrow?' echoed Egon, his eyes widening. 'I need to return to Fifth Avenue as soon as possible! My colleagues are probably very worried already.'   
......'We'll send them an owler, telling them you're all right,' suggested Hermione. 'In the meantime, we could work on this, or maybe … maybe you could teach me some about the paranormal. I'd like to find out more about poltergeists, and perhaps you could help Moaning Myrtle.'   
......'Send the Ghostbusters an owler?' wondered Egon. 'Moaning Myrtle?'   
......'You're right, Dumbledore isn't here today,' said Harry. 'Who else should we ask? We need to send Doctor Spengler back, really.'   
......'Isn't there a fellytone we could use?' suggested Ron. 'I mean, a tefelone - telephone! Muggles would get pretty suspicious if an owl delivered them a letter.'   
......'Not the Ghostbusters,' Egon broke in.   
......'Okay,' said Hermione, beaming at Egon. 'Promise you won't tell about this place and the magic. It must be the weirdest thing that ever happened to you, being summoned to Hogwarts, but I'll try sending you back to New York without putting the Memory Charm on you.'   
......'Hermione!' objected Harry. 'He's a Muggle!'   
......'My parents are, too,' reminded Hermione.   
......'Trust me, this isn't exactly the - er - weirdest thing that ever happened to me. I've seen magic before. I've seen more odd events than most people,' explained Egon. 'After all, I'm a Ghostbuster.'   
......'Fair enough,' said Hermione. 'Put your weapon back on, and I'll be sending you back.'   
......'I have a bad feeling about this,' mumbled Ron.   
......'Don't be silly,' said Hermione. 'It can't go wrong. It's said this spell will complete the spell I just used, in case something didn't work the first time.'   
......Egon put his proton pack on his back, adjusted his sliding glasses again and said he was ready.   
......'_Ecto Intimidenta Totalus!_'   
......Another soft _pop_ was heard, just as when Egon had appeared in the corridor. Two more pops, and then Hermione let out a cry of despair.   
......'Oh no!' shouted Ron. 'We're in deep trouble now!'   
......No less then four men were standing in the corridor. Along with Egon, three more newcomers had arrived. They were all dressed in similar coveralls, being different colours.   
......'What's this?' the man with brown hair and brown coveralls said. 'Did I blink?'   
......'Egon's here!' the chubby auburn-haired man cheered. 'Gosh, I feared you'd been disintegrated by that class seven!'   
......'It's in the box,' said the coloured man in white coveralls, showing them a smoking ghost trap.   
......'May I introduce Doctor Peter Venkman, Doctor Raymond Stantz, and Winston Zeddmore," said Egon coolly. "We're the Ghostbusters."   
......Hermione was still gaping, having dropped her wand.   
......"Call me Ray," said Ray in a sunny manner.   
......'I'm Harry Potter,' said Harry and shook hands with the Ghostbusters. 'This is Hermione Granger, and he's Ron Weasley. Welcome to Hogwarts. You'll probably be staying for awhile.'   
......'Just until tomorrow!' Hermione managed to utter.   
......'We've been summoned,' explained Egon shortly.   
......None of the Ghostbusters seemed to react - it was as if it happened daily. The only reaction was that of Peter's, saying he had a date in the evening and needed to get back in time.   
......'We can't just hang out here!' said Ron. 'What'll we do until Professor Dumbledore gets back?'   
......'There's only one place to hide them,' said Harry. 'We'll have to ask Hagrid if he can keep them hidden in his cabin.'   
......'Yeah, he's fond of creepy creatures, isn't he?' sniggered Ron.   
......'Ron!' barked Hermione, then swiftly beaming at Egon, hoping he would forgive her redheaded friend.   
......'Okay,' said Peter. 'We're camping in a cabin tonight. I hope this Hagrid's got a telephone. I need to call my date - she won't believe me. Why is it I always have to make up excuses that sound less imaginative than what actually happened?'   
......'He doesn't have a telephone,' said Harry. 'I'd send an owler with Hedwig, but she wouldn't make it across the Atlantic Ocean in time.'   
......'Across the Atlantic?' asked Winston. 'Are we in England, really?'   
......'I love England!' chirped Ray. 'And Scotland! How far is Dunkeld from here?'   
......'I dunno,' shrugged Ron. 'Besides, you mustn't know where Hogwarts is.'   
......A shriek from the end of the corridor interrupted them. There, a transparent figure stood, trembling so hard that his head flipped to the side and dangled by an ectoplasmic sinew and some skin. He put it back in place, too terrified to move from the spot.   
......'A ghost!' Ray called out, reaching for a button on his proton pack. 'Are we gonna bust it, guys? Make ourselves useful?'   
......'Don't touch Nearly Headless Nick!' Hermione called out. 'He lives here!'   
......'The Ghostbusters!' whined the dignified ghost.   
......'We mustn't catch him if he lives here,' said Egon. 'He's very much like our Slimer, I suspect.'   
......'Then let me box him,' said Peter, grabbing his thruster. 'They'll thank me for it.'   
......'Nick, forget this,' asked Ron. 'They're not the real deal! We're just practising. They're - well, they're holygrims.'   
......'Holograms,' Hermione corrected him. 'A sort of Muggle thing, but magic this time.'   
......'Oh,' said Nearly Headless Nick, sighing. 'You should have warned me. They're dreaded among the dead, the Ghostbusters. I was afraid you'd brought them to Hogwarts, but that's silly of me. No one would do such a thing.'   
......'Of course not,' said Hermione, watching the ghost leave.   
......'We need to get them out of here, before anyone else sees them,' said Ron.   
......'I'll go get my Invisibility Cloak,' said Harry. 'We can't risk they're being seen when we go to Hagrid's.'   
......Not even mentioning the Invisibility Cloak seemed to impress the Ghostbusters. Harry thought they must have seen a lot, just like Egon said.   
......He came back with the cloak, telling Peter he could go first. Harry knew he would have to take the Ghostbusters to Hagrid one by one, because the Cloak wasn't big enough to hide two at once. Peter smiled oddly when he was given the Cloak, put it on and concealed his suddenly free-floating head with the hood without being told how it worked.   
......'We'll make it quick,' said Harry. 'Peter, you don't say a word.'   
......'I won't,' Peter's voice was heard from nowhere. 'Who's this Hagrid?'   
......'You'll see,' said Harry, leading Peter down the corridor.   
......They left the impressive great castle. It was getting dark outside, and Harry hurried in the direction of Hagrid's cabin. Getting halfway there, he stumbled across Draco Malfoy and his partners in crime, Crabbe and Goyle. The three had obviously been up to something, but immediately put and end to their conversation when they spotted Harry.   
......'Oh, isn't it the famous Harry Potter!' snarled Malfoy. 'Where do you think you're going?'   
......'To Hagrid,' answered Harry, hoping that would make them leave him alone.   
......'Don't you want to play with us first?' challenged Malfoy.   
......'I'd prefer not to,' said Harry. 'Hagrid's expecting me.'   
......'I don't see him anywhere,' said Malfoy, while Crabbe and Goyle laughed. 'Big Hagrid's not here to protect little Harry Potter.'   
......'Quit it,' warned Harry.   
......'I'll show you!' growled Malfoy.   
......WHAM! Right when he had said it, something hit him on the head. Malfoy staggered, put both hands on top of his head and turned around, looking at Crabbe and Goyle.   
......'Why did you -' started Malfoy, addressing the two. 'Ow!'   
......He started hopping around, clutching his leg. Harry stared at Malfoy, wondering what he was doing, before he remembered his company, realizing Peter must have come to aid.   
......'I can't stay and play,' said Harry coolly, trying not to smile when he saw that Peter must have stepped on Malfoy's toe as a final treat.   
......Malfoy was on the ground, not hopping on one foot anymore, because his toe hurt. Harry heard Peter step on a twig, thus knowing he was following, being on Harry's right side. The two hurried to Hagrid's cabin, relieved to know that the three Slytherin students weren't after them.   
......Harry knocked on the door, Hagrid's enormous boarhound Fang starting to bark. In a matter of seconds, Hagrid opened the door of his little wooden cabin, beaming when he spotted Harry.   
......'Harry! Good ter see yeh. Jus' in time fer some tea.'   
......Harry heard a faint gasp to his right, adding up to the smile that already curled his lips, because seeing Hagrid always made him glad. Knowing that something finally impressed a Ghostbuster was a reason to smile. Perhaps it was the thought of being left alone with Hagrid, that made Peter gasp, but Harry knew that Peter was in safe hands. The gigantic man was a friend, even as his looks could be intimidating. He was wearing a west made of leather, his beard and long hair as tangled as ever, and he held a dead bird in one hand.   
......'We need to talk,' said Harry. 'Can I come in?'   
......'Yes! Step in, step in,' offered Hagrid and made way, leaving the door ajar.   
......When Harry had entered, Hagrid leaned over Harry's head and attempted to close the door. Harry turned around, stopped him and waited for the almost inaudible swishing sound, which told him that Peter had crossed the threshold.   
......'I'll explain this quickly,' said Harry. 'Hagrid, this is Doctor Peter Venkman.'   
......Hagrid stared at Harry, even looking down at the floor, as if he suspected the invisible guest was an ant. When Peter removed his hood, Hagrid let out a sound of understanding, seeing the seemingly decapitated head in midair.   
......'Peter's a Muggle,' continued Harry, hearing how Hagrid puffed in surprise.   
......'Well, actually -' started Peter.   
......'We accidentally summoned him when we were trying to make Peeves leave the corridor,' Harry broke him off. 'There are three more. I need to go get them before anyone sees them. Can they stay in your cabin? We don't know where else to hide them.'   
......'Four Muggles?' whined Hagrid. 'Are they house-trained?'   
......Fang sniffed around Peter's invisible legs, which were turning fully visible when he took off the Cloak and gave it back to Harry. The big black dog yelped and set for Hagrid's massive bed, trying to hide under the patchwork quilt.  
......'We're good boys,' said Peter. 'It's very nice of you to keep us here. It'll only be for the night ... hopefully shorter.'   


  


Before Harry left, he saw Peter and Hagrid shake hands. Harry would have preferred to wear the Cloak, in case he was going to bump into Malfoy and his two friends again, but didn't dare risk being seen going to Hagrid's cabin four times, not leaving it on any of the occasions. When he went up the stairs, he heard the three Ghostbusters make a much too loud conversation with Ron and Hermione. Harry hurried down the corridor, seeing them talk about what seemed to be one of Hermione's books.   
......'This Tobin's revised!' said Ray, animated. 'I never saw this edition!'   
......'Of course you didn't,' said Hermione. 'This is the wizard edition. Tobin was a Muggle, and before we could use his _Spirit Guide_, the mistakes had to be corrected and missing information filled in.'   
......'Gosh!' exclaimed Ray. 'It's seventy pages more than the newest edition on the market! Egon, we really need this one.'   
......'I'm sorry, you can't have it,' said Hermione and tried to get the book back from Ray. 'Besides, I need it in my Defence Against the Dark Arts class.'   
......'It's not on the list of necessary books,' Ron pointed out.   
......'I still need it!' objected Hermione.   
......'This one I never saw,' said Egon, flipping through _Gadding with Ghouls_ by Gilderoy Lockhart.   
......'That's because it's not available on the Muggle market,' explained Hermione. 'I got it from Diagon Alley.'   
......'Where's that?' Egon wanted to find out.   
......'In London,' said Hermione, going red in the face again. 'I'll explain how to get there -'   
......'You,' said Harry and gave the Invisibility Cloak to Egon. 'You're next.'   
......Harry watched Egon put on the Cloak, just in time to stop Hermione from telling Egon how to get to the wizard street in London, where they bought their tools and books. Ron and Ray, the two redheads of the lot, immediately continued their discussion.   
......The Ghostbuster was very keen on the book he had spotted Ron carrying, _The Monster Book of Monsters_, tightly sealed with a thick rope, because it was known to take a bite off people's fingers. Before Harry turned his back on them, he saw Ray show Ron how much he was prepared to pay for the book, but Ron wasn't interested in such silly looking green pieces of paper.   
......'Egon,' said Harry in a soft voice. 'It doesn't matter how much you find out here at Hogwarts, because we're not sending you back without putting a Memory Charm on all of you.'   
......A very disappointed grunt was heard from Egon, when he faced this unwelcome piece of information.   
......'It's important no Muggles know,' continued Harry, thinking he had sounded a bit blunt the first time.   
......Leading Egon to Hagrid's cabin was an easy task. Harry stepped inside, beamed at Hagrid, held up the door to let Egon in and watched him take off the Cloak. Peter was scratching Fang behind one ear, the dog enjoying this tremendously.   
......'Doctor Egon Spengler,' Egon introduced himself and shook Hagrid's hand.   
......'I know yeh!' bellowed Hagrid, staring at Egon. 'The Muggle who knew magic!'   
......'No,' said Egon. 'I'm sorry, but that must be a mistake.'   
......'In Nassburg … say, two centuries ago?' continued Hagrid, still shaking Egon's hand. 'I read abou' yeh in school! Yeh mus' be real clever, findin' out a lot abou' magic all by yerself -'   
......'I wasn't even born then!' Egon objected. 'You must be talking about my great great great grandfather, Zedekiah Spengler.'   
......'Yeh look so alike! He's important,' said Hagrid, letting go of Egon's hand. 'First Muggle ter reinvent magic, he was. Wizards were watchin' him closely.'   
......'They obviously didn't watch him closely enough,' mumbled Egon under his breath.   
......Harry left the cabin and ran back to the corridor. Ray and Ron were still trying to reach an understanding, Ray offering a palm-sized piece of equipment with a few knobs and a handle in exchange for the _The Monster Book of Monsters_. Hermione tried to explain that Muggle equipment didn't work at Hogwarts, but Ron still thought it was a very interesting gadget, the PKE-meter. Winston did his best to convince Ray that they could do without a book that bit people.   
......'Take this,' Harry told Ray and handed him the Invisibility Cloak.   
......Ray gave the Cloak to Winston, continuing his discussion with Ron, and Harry shrugged. It couldn't work every time, putting an end to argumentation by offering the Cloak.   
......A plume of smoke seeped out from under the Cloak, because Winston was carrying the ghost trap, which was still smoking. It was a most suspect sight, and Harry hurried down the stairs, hoping that no one was going to see it. He had only reached the next floor, when Neville Longbottom came across them.   
......'Harry!' said Neville. 'Where are you going?'   
......'To the library,' lied Harry. 'I'm doing my Potions homework there.'   
......'Then I can come with you!' exclaimed Neville. 'I haven't done it yet.'   
......A muffled cough was heard behind Harry, and a distinct smell reached his nostrils. Harry knew that in just a matter of seconds, Neville would notice the smell of smoke, as well. Another cough came from Winston, and Harry did his best to pretend he had done the coughing.   
......'Are you ill?' wondered Neville.   
......'Yes, I'm feeling a bit -'   
......Harry had to break off his sentence when Winston coughed, faking it, but too late. Neville widened his eyes in surprise.   
......'It's a Delayed Cough,' said Harry. 'I'd better go to the hospital wing.'   
......'What's that smell?' said Neville, looking around. 'There's a fire!'   
......'No,' said Harry, having to pretend to cough again. 'It's a part of the Delayed Cough.'   
......'It's coming from behind you!' said Neville, pointing at Harry's shoes. 'A circle of smoke!'   
......'That's typical,' said Harry. 'The Delayed Cough always puts a circle of smoke right behind you. It's delayed, you know. Now, I have to go to the hospital wing.'   
......'Should I come with you?' wondered Neville.   
......'No, you might catch it,' warned Harry and saw how Neville backed off.   
......Harry ran down the steps of Hogwarts entrance and was out in the open air. Winston did his best to cough as inaudible as possible, but his efforts weren't doing the trick. Harry hurried as fast as he could to get to Hagrid's cabin, and knocked on the door. Hagrid opened, spotting the ring of smoke when Winston entered.   
......'This is Winston Zeddmore,' said Harry when Winston swiftly took off the Cloak.   
......'The kipper,' wheezed Winston and tossed the trap, which landed next to the door.   
......'One more ter go!' said Hagrid, seeming amused. 'I'll be makin' tea.'   
......Harry scurried back to the castle, hoping no one saw him run back and forth, questioning what his strange behaviour was all about. He returned to the corridor, panting, just in time to watch how Ray skimmed through the revised Tobin, trying to remember everything it said.   
......'You're the last one,' said Harry and gave Ray the Cloak.   
......Ray put it on without giving the book back to Hermione.   
......'Are you reading under the Cloak?' asked Ron in an amused tone.   
......'No,' said Ray, disappointed. 'I can't see the book.'   
......'You can read it in Hagrid's cabin, if you like,' said Hermione.   
......Ray opened the Cloak, held the book in front of him, buttoned the Cloak again and made the three Gryffindor students laugh.   
......'Give that to me,' said Hermione. 'We can't take a levitating book for a stroll.'   
......'Oh,' said Ray, thwarted.   
......'Let's go,' said Harry. 'Ray, you stay behind us. Remember, not a word.'   
......A repeated swishing sound coming from the invisible hood probably meant that Ray was nodding. The four started to trot down the stairs and all the way to Hagrid's cabin. They were let in, Hagrid looking as if he had gotten very used to the procedure.   
......'Hagrid, this is Doctor Raymond Stantz,' said Harry when Ray took off the Cloak.   
......'Call me Ray,' said Ray, grinning.   
......'Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of the Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts,' said Hagrid. 'Jus' call me Hagrid.'   
......'So, now what do we do?' asked Peter. 'Play musical chairs?'   
......'I've been makin' tea,' said Hagrid. 'Harry, would yeh be so nice an' help me hand out mugs?'   
......Harry could take only two at the time, since the mugs were much bigger than usual Muggle mugs. Ron ended up getting the biggest of the lot, being almost the size of a small bucket, while Hagrid got the smallest.   
......'Yer very nice Muggles,' said Hagrid and poured them tea from a large teapot decorated with flowers. 'Yer not runnin' the other way when yer ter see magic, or large people like me.'   
......'We've seen worse,' said Winston coolly, sipping his tea from a mug decorated with blue grey Swedish Short-Snout dragons.   
......'Yeah, we're the Ghostbusters!' said Ray.   
......Hagrid nodded, gripping the small handle of the mug with his fingertips. The tea was far from the best they ever tasted, but the Ghostbusters were polite and didn't point it out.   
......'I've got some rock cakes,' said Hagrid. 'Like 'em, rock cakes?'   
......'No thanks,' said Peter. 'I've just eaten.'   
......'How did yeh end up here?' asked Hagrid, seeming used to the fact that his rock cakes got turned down. 'Being Muggles an' all?'   
......'Er, I -' started Hermione, blushing.   
......'It was a spell that did it. First we got Egon, and then we got the whole lot. Just like that!' said Ron and snapped his fingers.   
......'There doesn't seem to be a counter-spell,' explained Harry. 'We tried, that's when all the Ghostbusters appeared instead of only one.'   
......'Can't we use Floo powder?' suggested Ron suddenly.   
......'Have you got a fireplace at home?' Harry asked Winston.   
......'We do,' said Winston. 'Though we never use it.'   
......'It isn't connected,' reminded Hermione. 'Muggle fireplaces aren't a part of the Floo powder system.'   
......'Right,' said Ron and stared down his large cup. 'Besides, we don't have any Floo powder.'   
......'It's too bad you'll have the Memory Charm cast upon you,' said Hermione and glanced in Egon's direction. 'So you won't remember all this. It's kind of sad to make friends, when they don't recall a thing afterwards.'   
......'That happens to me Friday nights,' said Peter. 'Besides, you don't have to bother when it comes to me. I won't tell about this place.'   
......'Of course your memory will have to be removed, just like the others!' objected Ron. 'You're a Muggle! Ghostbuster or not, you're still a Muggle!'   
......Peter shook his head and sipped some tea from his purple mug decorated with little pink witches on broomsticks.   
......'Come again?' said Winston.   
......'I'm just part Muggle,' said Peter, putting his cup on the high table. 'I simply couldn't tell you. It's a secret … well, it _was_ a secret.'   
......'Peter!' said Egon, almost spilling his tea. 'Did you know of this all along? The world of wizards?'   
......'Yes,' said Peter, smiling in an odd way. 'My Mom was a witch.'   
......'You never told us!' gasped Ray.   
......'It's like they say,' said Peter, still smiling. 'Muggles aren't supposed to know. I couldn't tell anyone, not even you. It's why I became a Ghostbuster. I studied parapsychology, just to be a part of it - no matter how off target it actually was, compared to magic. Dad wouldn't put me in a school for wizards, like Hogwarts. Mom pleaded and begged, but he refused. I couldn't even have wizard friends, he didn't -'   
......Peter's voice trailed off and he picked up his mug again, gazing into the tea.   
......'I had no idea,' said Ray.   
......'Now you know,' said Peter and drank some tea. 'You never thought it was odd when I fell off a cliff in Greece, managing to land on my feet after that drop? You never wondered why we always survive, no matter how tough stuff we're facing? It's good being a Ghostbuster. Odd things don't get questioned.'   
......'You're right,' said Egon. 'I don't see why I never thought of it.'   
......'It's a part of Mom's legacy,' continued Peter. 'I'm just a halfblood, but still things happen when I'm around. I can't help it, really.'   
......'Tell me about it,' said Harry, remembering the time when he'd jumped up a roof, or when his impossible jet-black hair had grown back in just one night.   
......'Mom always called me her little halfblood,' said Peter, smiling shyly. 'After she ... she ... anyway, I lost all contact with this world. Until now, I mean.'   
......'Yeh can't put the Memory Charm on _him_!' bellowed Hagrid, putting down his little mug with a clunk.   
......They all looked at Peter, who studied the witches on his mug, seeming to dream away.   
......'But your mum … she must have told you things?' asked Hermione. 'Did you ever have your own wand?'   
......'She told me things,' confirmed Peter. 'Though, I never had my own wand. Not even Mom could use hers. Dad didn't like that. He didn't like anything that's magic, and still he doesn't. He'd be calling Mom his witch. Then, he didn't. She couldn't even speak to her family anymore. Maybe that's why she … why she -'   
......Peter looked away, pretending he had to pat Fang, snoozing happily next to Peter's feet.   
......'I like Quidditch,' he finally said, trying to beam at Ron. 'I always wanted to be a Quidditch player. I'd be running around the house on a Muggle broomstick, tossing balls.'   
......'Can you fly a broomstick?' asked Harry.   
......'Harry's a really good Quidditch player,' said Hermione. 'He's the Seeker in the Gryffindor team.'   
......Peter's and Harry's pair of green eyes met. They both smiled, Harry knowing that he lived Peter's dream, and that Peter was happy for him.   
......'I tried a couple of times when I was very young,' said Peter. 'Just a few inches above the ground. Then Dad wouldn't let us use it. I don't know where the broomstick went. Mom really missed it, even as she never said anything.'   
......'No wonder your Dad never liked that you became a Ghostbuster,' said Winston. 'Why didn't he want you and your Mom to use magic? Man, why did she marry him at all?'   
......'I don't know,' said Peter softly. 'He was never the perfect Dad. You know, at Christmas -'   
......'We know,' said Ray, noticing how Peter bit his lip.   
......'You can use my wand!' offered Hermione, giving it to Peter. 'I'll teach you a few spells!'   
......'Thanks,' said Peter. 'I have my own wand now. We all have them … the thrusters. They make pretty cool magic.'   
......'Try it!' said Hermione. 'I want you to.'   
......Peter accepted Hermione's wand, looked at it closely and weighted it in his hand. Then, he cleared his throat. '_Sirena melodium!_' he said.   
......Soft singing came from everywhere in the cabin, performed by what sounded like angels. He gave back the wand to Hermione, leaned back and closed his eyes, obviously remembering something from long ago.   
......'Mom used to do that, when I was going to sleep,' he said. 'The song of the sirens - it's harmless. I still recall the spell she used.'   
......'It's wonderful!' exclaimed Ray.   
......'I never heard so pretty music in me cabin,' said Hagrid, getting tears in his eyes. 'Fang, do yeh hear?'   
......'You're really a wizard!' said Ron. 'That's awesome!'   
......'Who's yer mum?' asked Hagrid, wiping his eyes with a big polkadot handkerchief.   
......'Winona Venkman,' said Peter.   
......'I don't know them Venkmans,' grumbled Hagrid. 'Well, one can't know the lot, can yeh?'   
......'Her mother's name was Whinniepuff,' explained Peter. 'Venkman's my Dad's name, she got it when she married him.'   
......'The Whinniepuffs!' shouted Hagrid. 'I know 'em! There's a branch goin' ter America, was she -'   
......'Yes, her family did move to America,' confirmed Peter. 'That's where she met Dad. I don't know if they still live in the States, I can't even remember meeting them.'   
......'Good people, the Whinniepuffs,' said Hagrid. 'Lots o' them fightin' dragons.'   
......'Dragons?' echoed Egon.   
......'I see why yer fightin' them ghosts,' continued Hagrid. 'If yeh meet yer family, tell 'em I wouldn' turn down one o' them dragon eggs.'   
......'Hagrid, a dragon in a cabin made of wood?' said Hermione.   
......'I'd take good care o' it,' mumbled Hagrid. 'More tea?'   
......They all shook their heads, saying they were quite satisfied already. Especially Ron, who by no means could finish his large mug even if the tea had been tasty, which is wasn't.   
......Hagrid got up, brought his little mug and the teapot to the stove, sniffed and noticed there was a faint smell of smoke. Ray asked Peter about his mother, still bedazzled that Peter had managed to keep his secret. Hermione started talking to Egon about poltergeists, Egon explaining all she ever wanted to know about spectro visors and how useful they were when you came across poltergeists. Harry and Winston started to compare the similarities between baseball and Quidditch, even as they turned out to be very few. Ron collected the mugs, disposing the tea when Hagrid wasn't looking.   
......Not until Fang started to growl and scrape the door with his front paw, they silenced and listened. From outside, strange howling sounds and screams of terror came. They all jumped from their seats and wanted to find out what was going on.   
......'No need ter panic!' bellowed Hagrid. 'I'll see fer yeh what's goin' on.'   
......He opened the door and gazed at the darkness. The howling could still be heard, while the screams were fading - probably because the people screaming were running away as fast as they could.   
......'That sounds like the class seven, guys!' said Ray.   
......'Where's the trap?' asked Winston. 'I know I put it just next to the door!'   
......'Oh, the lil' box?' confirmed Hagrid. 'I threw it out. Bad smell.'   
......'YOU THREW IT OUT?' shouted the Ghostbusters in chorus.   
......'It was smokin',' tried Hagrid, knowing he had done something foolish.   
......'Okay,' said Winston, grabbing his proton pack. 'Seems like we've got to bust the sucker once more.'   
......'But where's the trap?' said Ray. 'Do we have another?'   
......They checked their accelerators, but no extra trap was strapped to the side of any of the packs. To add to that, the trap hadn't been left outside the door, either.   
......'We'll have to go find the trap - that's important,' said Egon. 'Who could've taken it?'  
......'I think I know,' sighed Harry. 'Peter, remember the three we met on our way here? Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle?'   
......'Of course,' said Peter, smiling.   
......'It must've been them,' said Harry. 'It's more than a hunch.'   
......'That's not the worst part,' said Hermione. 'You can't use that gear.'   
......'WHAT?' yelled the Ghostbusters.   
......'It's Muggle equipment,' explained Hermione. 'It doesn't work at Hogwarts.'   
......'She's right,' said Ray, having tried his PKE-meter. 'It's dead. I think the accelerators are just as dead.'   
......'If so, how could the trap work here at all?' asked Winston.   
......'It's keeping the ghost inside without being fed any electricity,' said Ray. 'We constructed them like that, just to avoid mishaps in case there's a power fluctuation. It works like a capacitor, using the energy from when the trap sprang open and was emitting the proton flow. The only time the power cells are used is when the ghost is caught. Once you open the trap, the ghost's free - and you can't use the trap again, I'm afraid. I mean, here you can't.'   
......'Thanks for that lecture, Ray,' said Peter. 'I'm glad it was you who explained it, and not Egon. I understood the whole thing.'   
......Hermione glanced in Peter's direction, frowning.   
......'We don't have time for this!' said Winston. 'There's a class seven out there.'   
......'DON'T LEAVE THE CABIN!' yelled Hermione, startling them.   
......'We have to!' objected Ray, putting down his proton pack after making sure it really didn't work.   
......'That ectoplasmic entity is very dangerous,' said Egon. 'Especially now, when it's been caught once already.'   
......'But -' started Hermione. 'You know you mustn't be seen.'   
......'We can't care about that now,' said Peter, running out the door.   
......'COME BACK!' screamed Hermione, making Peter stop. 'Don't do this! I'll get expelled!'   
......'We'll back you up,' said Harry. 'We're all in this together.'   
......'My twin brothers did far worse things than this, and they're still not expelled,' comforted Ron.   
......'Like what?' asked Hermione, while they all took off in the direction from where the screams had been heard.   
......Ron didn't answer her question, pretending he was too busy running after the Ghostbusters. Hagrid was easily keeping up with Egon, leading the race.   
......'What'r yeh ter do?' they heard Hagrid ask Egon.   
......'I need to find the trap,' answered Egon. 'Maybe it can be used somehow, if I only get to take a look at it.'   
......'It doesn't work at Hogwarts!' reminded Hermione, having sprinted so fast that she was just behind Egon. 'It's as a precaution!'   
......The howls of the ghost were coming from the Hogwarts castle. When they saw the open space in front of the school, a few students had already gathered and were looking at the class seven.   
......'Egon, please don't go there,' begged Hermione, wanting him to stop before they got spotted.   
......'It's of uttermost necessity,' answered Egon, coming to a halt in the middle of the open space.   
......Harry stared at the ghost, which was performing some form of aero ballet. Buzzing here and there in intricate patterns, it behaved rather deranged. Because it was howling and growling, the impression of the ghost being barmy was accentuated.   
......'It's really ugly,' said Ron.   
......The twenty tentacles, long fangs, spots of bushy hair growing from the slim scaly body, and bulgy reddish eyes, were indeed features that suggested that no one except Hagrid could ever find it cute.   
......'Now what do we do?' asked Winston.   
......'Can I have it?' Hagrid begged, turning to Peter. 'It's really summat! Almost as pretty as a Hungarian Horntail dragon.'   
......'Sure, if you can catch it,' offered Peter. 'It's just that the catching part seems to be our problem, here.'   
......'What _is_ that?' asked Neville Longbottom, his white round worried face looking a bit like the moon shining above the treetops. 'Is it dangerous?'   
......'Don't you worry, Neville,' said Winston. 'We'll take care of it.'   
......'How do you know my name?' gasped Neville, gawping at Winston.   
......'Uh … because I'm -' started Winston, realizing that Neville by no means could know that Winston had been the cause of Harry's Delayed Cough earlier, and thus had met Neville already.   
......'Nothin' ter see!' hollered Hagrid, making Neville forget about Winston's clairvoyance. 'All, go back ter yer dormitories!'   
......An upset murmur came from the crowd, no one wanting to go back inside. Hermione had put the palms of her hands on her cheeks, gawking at the spectre, wanting it all to turn out to be nothing but a bad dream.   
......'There's Malfoy again!' said Peter, grabbing Harry by the arm and pointing at the pale-faced boy, standing a bit away from the lot, which was ever increasing in number.   
......'He doesn't have the trap,' said Harry.   
......'I'll go talk ter him,' said Hagrid. 'He shan't be stealin' smokin' boxes from me threshold.'   
......'He'd never admit he did!' objected Harry, craning in order to make the ten feet tall Hagrid hear him better over the noise.   
......The students were looking at the Ghostbusters, but only briefly, because the class seven was a far more spectacular sight. More and more Hogwarts students were gathering, drawn there because they wondered what the horrible howling was all about. The ghost looked vicious in the moonlight, its red eyes shining like lanterns.   
......'I'll go to Malfoy,' said Peter. 'Harry?'   
......'He won't say a thing about the trap in case I'm around,' sighed Harry. 'You go - maybe you'll get lucky and he'll say something to Crabbe and Goyle.'   
......Peter left while Harry was asking Hagrid not to tell the students to return to the castle until Peter had done his eavesdropping. Hagrid nodded, then gazing in the direction of the class seven as if it had been a cute puppy dog.   
......'Don't worry!' Ray told a Hufflepuff first-year. 'We're the -'   
......'Wizards,' Winston broke in, beaming at the girl, poking Ray in the side. 'The Ghostwizards. Specialized in spooks.'   
......'Then, where are your wands? Why don't you do something?' she wanted to find out.   
......'They - well, we're having a bit of a problem with them now,' explained Ray, going red. 'Aren't we, Egon?'   
......Egon didn't answer - he was too busy looking at the class seven. Seeing a ghost threaten so many people at a time when he couldn't even use as simple technology as his digital wristwatch, was obviously stirring him up.   
......'Hagrid, make the kids leave,' said Egon finally. 'Now.'   
......'I promised Harry -' objected Hagrid, looking troubled.   
......'NOW, I said!' Egon bellowed, making Ray and Winston jump.   
......The ghost was howling, flying back and forth above their heads, occasionally going for a dive. Hagrid's hair whipped in the draft when the ghost flew right by his head.   
......'GET INSIDE!' he boomed. 'GO BACK TER YER DORMITORIES 'MEDIATELY!'   
......'Maybe I can use a spell,' said Hermione, backing off from the lot.   
......'Hermione, no!' said Egon.   
......'_Ecto intimidenta!_' she said, flicking her wand.   
......Egon vanished and reappeared with a _pop_, shaking his head and blinking in a confused manner.   
......'_Ecto Intimidenta Totalus!_' she tried, flicking her wand harder.   
......The Ghostbusters faded swiftly, three pops were heard, and they reappeared in a group in front of Hermione.   
......'Hey!' objected Peter. 'What are you doing? I was listening to Malfoy! Send me back there.'   
......'FIFTY POINTS OFF YER HOUSES IF YEH DON'T LEAVE NOW!' roared Hagrid, making all the students turn around and run back to the castle.   
......'It doesn't matter,' said Peter, watching Malfoy reluctantly go back to the Slytherin dormitories together with Crabbe and Goyle.   
......'_Expelliarmus!_' said Hermione, pointing her wand at the ghost, but it had no effect.   
......'I wish I had me umbrella,' muttered Hagrid.   
......'Do you know any spell?' Harry asked Ron.   
......'Not any ghost scaring spell, no,' answered Ron. 'Though I learned in the Defence Against the Dark Arts class how to make a room smell like garlic, in case there's a vampire around. Maybe I should try that on Malfoy some day.'   
......'HERMIONE!' screamed Egon, seeing in the eyes of the ghost how it got angry with the curly haired girl, because she was pointing at it with her wand. 'WATCH OUT!'   
......The next second, the ghost swooped down, roaring so loud that their eardrums throbbed. Hagrid tried to grab the ghost as it flew right past him, but got his hands full of ectoplasm instead.   
......'IT GOT HERMIONE!' Egon cried out, looking at the ghost when it disappeared over the Forbidden Forest.   
......'Oh no!' exclaimed Ray, putting his hands in his hair.   
......'I'll go get my broom!' said Harry.   
......'There's no time!' objected Ron, pulling him along by the arm. 'And we can't get separated from the others!'   
......The Ghostbusters and Hagrid were already running towards the Forbidden Forest, which brim was just next to the Hogwarts castle. Hagrid was ahead of the others, taking to the left around a big willow tree. Peter ran right behind him, took a shortcut closer to the tree, and -   
......'PETER! That's the Whomping Willow!'   
......'Wha-'   
......Peter's question got cut off when a branch lashed out, walloping him in solar plexus. Surprised, he tumbled to the ground on his hands and knees.   
......'Peter, get away from there!'   
......Another branch picked Peter up, whipped him over his back, tossing him like a cat plays with a mouse. Hagrid stopped dead when he noticed what had happened, sprinted back and yelled at the tree.   
......'LEAVE HIM ALONE!'   
......The Whomping Willow couldn't have cared less for Hagrid's command. It threw Peter up in the air, had him fall on his nose on a root at the base of the trunk, spanking him even more.   
......'Gallopin' Gorgons!' growled Hagrid. 'We don't have _time_ fer this.'   
......Peter tried to wipe his nose, which was bleeding, but got pinned down by a branch. He was on the ground, unable to move.   
......'I'm breakin' it!' said Hagrid, grabbing Peter by his leg.   
......'NO!' panicked Peter. 'Don't break my leg!'   
......'I was talkin' ter the tree,' explained Hagrid. 'It knows it's old an' valuable an' that no'ne can touch it, but -'   
......Another branch reached out for Hagrid, but he hit it hard with the side of his hand, making it curl away as when a scared dog puts its tail between its legs.   
......'I'll work yeh loose,' assured Hagrid, pulling the branch that was pinning Peter with one hand, Peter's leg with the other.   
......A creaking sound was heard when Hagrid used his strength in order to make the branch budge. The tree shook in confusion and pain, giving away very suddenly. Peter plopped loose like a cork of a bottle, hurting his nose once again.   
......'Why didn't you -' Harry asked Hagrid.   
......'The Whompin' Willow needs ter be beaten on it's own terms once'n awhile,' grinned Hagrid. 'Now, stay close. The Forbidden Forest's got lotsa creatures an' features like 'em Willow.'   
......'Peter, how are you?' asked Ray. 'You're bleeding!'   
......'I'm ogay,' pledged Peter. 'Id's jusd lige anodder day ad worg.'   
......'Here, take this,' said Hagrid and offered Peter his not very clean polkadot handkerchief. 'We need ter get goin'.'   
......'Gread,' said Peter, pressing the handkerchief onto his nose. 'Dow I dook lige a gowboy.'   
......'This cow won't be waiting,' said Winston. 'I didn't mean Hermione, I meant the ghost,' he added in Ron's direction, noticing his joke came out a bit wrong.   
......'The class seven is over there,' said Egon, pointing at the shadows of the Forbidden Forest just ahead of them.   
......'We'll all be fine!' assured Hagrid. 'Jus' stay close ter me!'   
......'I don't like this,' said Ray to Winston, noticing how Hagrid's black beetle eyes seemed unsteady.   
......'We mustn't be here,' said Ron to Harry. 'We aren't allowed to!'   
......'Hermione's in trouble,' reminded Harry. 'Who's going to help her, if we don't?'   
......'How could she do this to us!' grumbled Ron. 'Why did she have to start making the ghost pissed off by telling it loads of spells?'   
......'At least she tried to do something about the situation.'   
......'Close ter me!' said Hagrid again, his voice much too heartily booming to fit the situation, while they trotted deeper into the Forest.  
......Snarls and growls were heard to the left and right. Ray got jumpy, but at the same time, he was very interested and peered between the trunks as he kept moving.   
......'What are these creatures you were talking about, man?' Winston asked Hagrid. 'They sound like werewolves!'   
......'No werewolves tonite,' answered Hagrid. 'The moon ain't full, see. Them could be trolls.'   
......'Trolls?' echoed Ray, sounding very jovial. 'What kind?'   
......'Ray, I don'd wand do know,' objected Peter. 'Dey growl - I run. I don'd need do address dem by deir righd didle.'   
......'Or unicorns,' continued Hagrid.   
......'Unicorns growl?' wondered Ray, bedazzled.   
......'No, but them unicorns live 'ere,' explained Hagrid.   
......They had the feeling that Hagrid wanted to take their minds off the trolls, or whatever was making the threatening sounds all around them.   
......'I really wonder how Hermione's doing,' said Ron.   
......'She'll be jus' fine!' said Hagrid. 'I'm sure she will.'   
......'Ray,' said Egon. 'Have you got a plan?'   
......Egon was looking very worried, his eyes seeming to have sunken back into the sockets, as if he hadn't been sleeping for days.   
......'No,' said Ray. 'We don't have any equipment and we don't know where the ghost's taken her.'   
......'I wish the PKE-meter worked,' said Egon. 'If it did, we could track down the ghost.'   
......'Have you got a plan?' Ray asked Egon in return.   
......'Well, yes,' said Egon, smiling wearily. 'Though I'd like to spend two more minutes on thinking it all through.'   
......'What's the plan?' wondered Ray eagerly.   
......'It's -'   
......Egon disappeared.   
......'EGON!' Ray cried out. "HE'S GONE!'   
......'Hermione!' said Harry. 'She used the _Ecto Intimidenta_ spell again! Egon must be with her, now.'   
......'That means she ain't alone,' concluded Hagrid and beamed at them. 'Good ter know!'   
......'She'll probably have us come, too,' said Ray, waiting for the strange feeling of dizziness that lasted shorter than a second before he showed up somewhere else, always facing Hermione.   
......'Yeah, righd,' puffed Peter from the other side of the handkerchief. 'When she gan geep Dogdor Sbengler all do herself.'   
......'That's not funny, Peter,' said Winston.   
......'I don'd ding so, eidder,' answered Peter.   
......'She's not summoning us!' gasped Ray, having waited much too long. 'Why won't she?'   
......Peter grunted, and Ron tried to make out if it was some sort of muffled sneer.   
......'Maybe something happened,' said Harry. 'I _really_ hope it didn't.'   
......'Why didn't we learn how to fight ghosts yet?' wondered Ron, sounding irritated. 'It could really come in handy! It's a clear Defence Against the Dark Arts topic, isn't it?'   
......'You learn that in class?' Ray wondered, his eyes growing very big.   
......'Well, we're supposed to, I guess,' said Ron.   
......'I don't like this growling,' Winston pointed out. 'It's coming closer and closer.'   
......'What are they?' whispered Ray.   
......'I don'd care!' chanted Peter. 'I don'd care!'   
......'Slavering Gumboils!' said Hagrid in an ill-fitting delighted tone, when moonlight shone upon a shaggy head.   
......A particularly loud growl was heard. In a matter of seconds, more heads emerged from the dark shadows, equally shaggy and unshorn. The creatures were snarling loudly, showing a row of unusually big teeth growing from burgundy boil plagued gums.   
......'They're gross!' said Ron, backing into the tightening group of friends. 'Suiting name, though.'   
......'Yer can call 'em Bushy Bonegnashers, as well,' Hagrid informed them.   
......'Names! Names!' snorted Peter, muffled behind his handkerchief. 'I don'd care, I said!'   
......'Plan B, guys?' asked Winston.   
......'What's that?' Harry wanted to find out.   
......'Run!' answered Ray, sending them sprinting deeper into the Forbidden Forest, no one caring if it was an explanation or a command.   
......The Slavering Gumboils, or Bushy Bonegnashers as Hagrid so civilly had enlightened them, were barking and growling in ways that sounded everything from very threatening to kindled. Thumping paws, which of course were crowned by long sharp claws, sounded like thunder as the pony sized creatures followed.   
......'We're the only ones who have wands!' said Harry to Ron. 'We need spells, quickly!'   
......'As what?' asked Ron. 'I've always had a problem remembering the right spell when I'm being chased by people-eaters!'   
......Harry put his wand over his shoulder, screaming the jelly-leg curse at the same time as he tried to duck a branch. He heard a surprised yelp from behind, but it didn't sound as if a Slavering Gumboil could have let it out.   
......'RAY!' shouted Peter, removing his handkerchief.   
......'Guys!' Ray's troubled voice was heard, making them all stop and turn around. 'Help me, guys!'   
......Ray was holding on to a tree trunk, trying to stand up. The Gumboils were all around him, not daring to throw themselves over him, because Ray was behaving too strange. When he let go of the trunk, he wobbled around it, making the creatures back off and yap in confusion.   
......'Way to go, Ray!' cheered Winston. 'You're scaring them, man!'   
......'Could you _please_ help me?' pleaded Ray, as he bobbed towards the biggest of the pack and back again.   
......'Just thank Harry!' said Ron, trying not to laugh.   
......'I ne'er knew that'd scare them Slavering Gumboils!' said Hagrid in amazement. 'Good work, Harry!'   
......'Well, I -' started Harry, not knowing where to look.   
......'This isn't fun!' objected Ray, making yet another wobbling attack against his will. 'Why are you just standing there?'   
......Whimpering, the Gumboils encircled him a few times, reluctantly in wider and wider rings. Ray waved his arms when he tried to keep his balance, almost falling on top of the largest of them. That made the whole lot back off as one, turn around and run away.   
......'You've really proven you're a real Ghostbuster now, Ray!' said Winston, all smiles. 'I couldn't have done a better job myself.'   
......'I can't walk!' declared Ray, as if he hadn't noticed it until then and needed to explain what was obvious.   
......'I'll carry yeh,' offered Hagrid.   
......'It's okay, we'll be his support,' said Winston. 'Peter, come here and help Staggering Stantz.'   
......'Sure,' said Peter, looking at the handkerchief, then forcing it down his breast pocket, where half of it stuck out like a bright token.   
......Leaning on Winston and Peter, Ray could hop, skip and wobble his way through the Forest. Occasional snaps from twigs being stepped on were heard around them, but the lurking beasts in the shadows weren't showing themselves. Growls, snarls and even shrill giggles emerged from between the trunks, accompanied by hooting owls.   
......'They're scared now,' said Winston, trying to sound casual. 'They won't attack when they've seen what powerful counterattacks we can master.'   
......Harry felt how he went red in the face.   
......'Keep on walkin'! encouraged Hagrid. 'I think I mighta know where it's taken Hermione.'   
......'Does anyone really know the Forbidden Forest?' asked Ron.   
......'I've been here some,' confessed Hagrid. 'There's a mound right ahead o' us. That oughta be a good landin' place.'   
......'I can't hear anything,' said Peter, his nose having unclogged a bit. 'If the class seven is there, it isn't making lots of sounds anymore.'   
......'I wish I knew what Egon's plan was all about,' said Ray.   
......'When we find him, we'll ask,' answered Winston.   
......'There!' said Harry. 'That's the mound you told us about, Hagrid!'   
......'The Nerve-racking Knoll,' said Hagrid, looking pleased.   
......'I just love all the names,' sighed Peter. 'I hope this one doesn't prove to be fitting.'   
......'Brave wizards and witches have died when they tried to reach the top,' explained Hagrid.   
......'Died?' repeated Ron, not believing what he just heard.   
......'Excellent,' muttered Peter. 'This is so typically us, somehow.'   
......'Are we going up there?' wondered Ray. 'Not that I don't want to, but I'm a bit unstable as things are now.'   
......'It'll wear off any second,' said Harry. 'The jelly-leg curse lasts for about ten minutes. I know from experience.'   
......'What did they die from?' wondered Ron.   
......'They didn' live ter tell, did they?' retorted Hagrid.   
......'… stop … please stop …'   
......'Did you hear that?' asked Harry.   
......'Hear what?' asked Winston.   
......'Someone told us to stop!' persisted Harry.   
......' … don't come any closer …'   
......'There! I heard it again!'   
......'I heard it, too!' said Peter.   
......'… turn around … go back …'   
......'What is it yeh hear?' boomed Hagrid from above their heads.   
......'Ssssssch, Hagrid!'   
......'… leave this place … never return …'   
......'Where are you?' asked Harry. 'Who are you?'   
......'… listen … go back …'   
......'Maybe we should do what she says?' suggested Ron. 'We don't know if Hermione and Egon are here, anyway. We can look someplace else.'   
......'… yes … leave before it's too late …'   
...... 'It's coming from over here!' said Peter, leaving Ray to Winston. 'From behind this rock!'   
......'Watch out!' warned Ron, but Peter had already leaned over the waist-high mossy rock, looking behind it.   
......'A skeleton,' he said, slowly turning his head to face the others. 'Dressed in a robe. It's a - it _was_ a witch.'   
......His face was whiter than the moonshine itself could ever make it. It was obvious that he was thinking of his mother.   
......'… run away … it's much too dangerous …'   
......A transparent, almost invisible figure stood behind the skeleton. It was dressed in a ghost replica of the robe lying on the ground. Peter could barely make out the face of the spirit, but he saw it was a young witch with long straight black hair. Her eyes glittered occasionally, being watery blue and sad.   
......'… listen to me … take my advice …'   
......'Girl, I don't know what happened to you, but we're looking for two friends of ours,' explained Peter.   
......'… too late … they're dead … we're all dead here…'   
......'WHAT?' yelled Peter, his eyes widening.   
......'Can you hear what she's saying?' asked Winston.   
......'… save yourselves … we all become restless spirits here …'   
......'They're - they're _dead_?' asked Peter, his voice unsteady. 'It can't be true!'   
......The girl smiled sadly. Literally, it was a ghost of a smile.   
......'… don't let it happen to you …'   
......'Not today, anyway,' sighed Peter. 'Did you see them? A girl, a man and a big ugly ghost?'   
......The dead witch pointed slowly at the top of the hill, which was covered in mysterious clouds, as if it had attracted a very small and very regional case of bad weather.   
......'I should have guessed,' muttered Peter. 'Thanks for telling.'   
......The lips of the ghost moved, but the whisper had faded to nothing. She was even more transparent than before, almost gone completely. Peter looked down at the skeleton again, hesitating when he spotted something.   
......'Peter, come on!'   
......'Wait a second,' asked Peter and bent down, reluctantly trying to force himself to touch the bundle of bones.   
......He pulled out the handkerchief, wrapped it around his hand and jerked the handle of a withered old broomstick. It was stuck diagonally under the skeleton. Moss, twigs and leaves had covered the ends and he kept on for a whole minute, desperately trying not to make the skeleton budge. He mumbled an apology when he finally held the broomstick in his hands, turning to where he had last seen the ghost, but she was gone. Peter knew that weak supernatural forces could drain their powers if they tried to speak or interact for too long.   
......'Why's it taking you forever?' said Winston. 'We're gonna get whacked by a troll club if we don't get moving.'   
......'I've got her broomstick!' explained Peter, holding the slanted broomstick on a straight arm above his head. 'Don't you think it can come in handy, guys?'   
......'It looks a bit gnarly,' grumbled Hagrid. 'Yer have ter try it an' see if it can still fly.'   
......Peter looked down at his feet as he tried to not get tangled up in vegetation, wanting to leave the spot. In the very last second, he laid his eyes on the robe once more and saw that something had fallen out of the hip pocket. He knew it must have happened when he removed the broomstick. He picked up the thing and looked at it intensively.   
......'The wand!' he said to himself. 'You're not using any of this anymore, so I hope you don't mind.'   
......'Peter!'   
......Ray was looking in every direction, seeming less interested and more nervous. The growls and snarls were as present as ever, but sounded increasingly ferocious.   
......'I'm done here!' exclaimed Peter, hurrying in their direction. 'What are you waiting for? Let's get up the hill!'   
......'Are they up there?' asked Harry.   
......'They are,' confirmed Peter, his face twisted for a second. 'The ghost told me. I got her broomstick and her wand.'   
......'She's one o' them,' said Hagrid, scratching his sideburn in regret. 'Gettin' killed fer wantin' to see what's up the top o' that Nerve-racking Knoll.'   
......'Did she tell what happened to her?' asked Winston.   
......'No,' said Peter, looking at the wand, scrubbing it with Hagrid's handkerchief. 'She faded before I had a chance to ask her. Besides, I'm not sure I want to find out.'   
......They started climbing the hill, trying to make way through thorny bushes and get past tangled branches. Ray didn't suffer from the jelly-leg curse anymore, which Harry thought was a great relief.   
......'What else did she say?' enquired Winston.   
......'Nothing,' answered Peter much too swiftly.   
......'Man, you can tell,' persisted Winston.   
......'Just the reason why Hermione never summoned the rest of us.'   
......Winston looked at Peter, the whites of his eyes big and bright in the darkness. Peter's expression told him everything he didn't want to know. They said nothing more.   
......Besides from Ray getting bitten in the buttocks by something he didn't even catch a glimpse of, and Ron getting his right sleeve ripped by thorns, they got up the hill in one piece. Harry and Ron were shielding the group from the beasts, telling them the _Wingardium Leviosa_ spell and sending them yapping above the treetops. Hagrid was looking at the wand Peter carried, pretending he wasn't interested, but it was plain to see that he wanted to try that little tattered cane. He was forbidden to use magic and knew he would lose his job, and more, if he did anyway.   
......It was much colder at the top than in the rest of the Forbidden Forest. They couldn't see the moon or the stars, because they were hidden by a greyish cloud. The outline of the cloud was as if cut by a knife - it didn't reach outside the plateau that was the top of the Nerve-racking Knoll. Burnt stubs and withered grass were the characteristics of the place. There were also stones in strange patterns, probably put there thousands of years ago by a long forgotten cult. A single human cranium lay upside-down on their left.   
......'I don't like this place,' said Winston.   
......In the very centre of the plateau was a large pile of rocks. There was nothing natural about it and must have been erected. It was just about the size of their Headquarters, but there was no way to be sure, because the top vanished in the cloud.   
......'I can't see Egon and Hermione anywhere,' Ray pointed out.   
......'They have to be up there,' said Winston. 'It's always like that, isn't it?'   
......The six people trotted in the direction of the threatening stone structure. There wasn't any entrance, but then again, the structure was much too rough to hide any chambers or rooms. When they reached the base, Ray gasped and bent down.   
......'Look! This is Hermione's wand, isn't it?'   
......'You're right!' said Harry, taking the wand. 'No wonder she couldn't summon you.'   
......'Yes, that must be why,' said Peter, clearing his throat when he heard how squeaky his voice sounded.   
......'She wouldn't go anywhere without it!' exclaimed Ron. 'Something really horrible must have happened if she _dropped_ it.'   
......'There's no time to waste,' said Harry and put her wand in his pocket. 'Peter, give me the broomstick. I'll fly to the top and take a look.'   
......'No way,' said Peter, holding on to the handle when Harry grabbed it. 'It's much too dangerous. I'll never let you do that.'   
......'There's no other way,' said Harry, jerking the handle. 'Just give me the broomstick.'   
......'I'll do it,' said Peter. 'I'm not letting any of you kids do this.'   
......'Don't be silly!' said Ron. 'You said that you only flew a few inches above the ground before. Harry's the best flyer of us, and he knows loads of spells in case he'll need to defend himself.'   
......'You'll get killed,' said Peter. 'Don't even think about it.'   
......'Peter's right,' said Winston. 'I'd fly the thing myself if it wasn't for knowing zip about how to even get it up in the air.'   
......'I wish I had the motorbike,' grumbled Hagrid.   
......'Look here,' said Harry and pointed at the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. 'I survived what no one survived before me. I'm not going to get killed when flying a broomstick up a cloud, if I lived through Lord Voldemort's attack, that's for sure.'   
......'Harry!' said Ron. 'Don't say his name!'   
......'Harry's the Boy Who Lived,' said Hagrid proudly.   
......Reluctantly, Peter gave the broomstick to Harry, watching him mount it. The broomstick shivered and twitched, fought to stay in the air and sagged under Harry's light weight. When Harry commanded it by a gentle movement to take off, it didn't react until he tweaked his whole body forward. The broomstick was like an old tired mule. He immediately noticed that it flew to the left, not only slightly, and sighed when he thought of how much he preferred his own broomstick.   
......'It'll be okay,' he said as the broomstick bucked some. 'It works.'   
......'It doesn't seem okay to me,' frowned Ron.   
......'It's all we've got,' said Harry. 'I'll have to hurry now.'   
......He tried to make it look as if he almost flew into Hagrid as a form of friendly slap on the back. Compensating how the broomstick flew to the left, he continuously pulled right, going straight up into the cloud as fast as he dared. It was dark and misty and he couldn't see much, so he circled the top of the structure three times - at least, that's what he thought he did. There wasn't any way to see where he was flying.   
......When he thought of whether to begin the fourth quick lapse or not, he gulped and desperately tried to stop the broomstick. Purple eyes shone right in front of him from a knobbly face with pointed jaws - eyes steady like those of a snake. A magnificent roar made him want to put his hands over his ears, but wouldn't do it because he needed to stay on the bucking broomstick. The jaws snapped inches from him, thanks to a sudden twitch of the broomstick, which got him out of the way. Harry screamed at the broomstick and tried to make a loop-de-loop, but just got a sort of hiccup movement in return.   
......It was a dragon. It _had_ to be a dragon. Harry didn't know there were dragons in the Forbidden Forest, and he hadn't really cared until that moment. The flapping of wings said it was a dragon - the head and the long scaly neck were strong indications. He couldn't actually see anything except the head and the neck, the rest was blocked by the cloud, but he didn't need to see anything more. The broomstick took him to the left, fast because it was a natural habit, sending him disoriented deeper into the cloud.   
......Harry barely knew what was up and down anymore. He could hear the dragon fly heavily, hear it roar and hiss. It got very hot and bright for a second, and when he turned his head, he saw the twigs on the back of his broomstick were on fire. A plume of smoke drew circles in the air as he kept on flying, but the cloud rapidly consumed them. To add to his luck, the dragon wasn't only of the winged kind - it could also exhale fire.   
......He was sure that the dragon was what had killed the witches and wizards. They had been daredevils, but they had certainly been older and more skilled than he was. Harry didn't want to think of what would happen to him.   
......Harry dived out of the cloud, his head spinning when he realized how much he flew to the left when he thought he was flying straight forward. He mumbled a few well-chosen words to the broomstick, tried to speed up and lure out the dragon in order to take a look at it. His friends were climbing up the stone structure, calling out at him, but he couldn't hear them over the flapping of dragon wings. The fire had been put out by the draft, leaving the twigs black and sooty.   
......The dragon wasn't leaving the cloud. Harry wondered what made it stay - also he wondered what caused the cloud. Leaning to the left, he made the broomstick slowly turn around and have him dive back. The last thing he heard before the cloud scoffed him was Hagrid's upset voice, booming across the hill, but the words escaped him.   
......Leaning over the stick, Harry dove fast in order to escape the dragon. He reached the top of the stone structure and saw a hole with a nest next to it. Smoke seeped out from the hole and the nest was full of dragon eggs, probably a dozen. Harry desperately tried not to crash right into the nest, barely escaped what would make the dragon kill him in a blink, and heard it come closer. Fire blazed past him and he kicked a rock to help the broomstick turn.   
......He couldn't see Egon and Hermione anywhere. Most of the top of the stone structure was visible to him, and he couldn't see neither them nor the big ghost. The dragon would never leave the place as long as it protected its nest, and the only thing left to do was to put an end to the smoke coming from the hole. If he could see what he was doing, maybe it would be easier to find out what ought to be his next step.   
......The dragon was just behind him. Harry flew as fast as possible up in the air, turned around and crossed his fingers that he could find his way back. When he knew the dragon had followed, he forced the broomstick down, spinning like a plane that was about to crash, saw the nest and pulled up the broomstick. It braked a bit too late, twigs snapping when they hit the ground. Harry jumped off, threw the broomstick aside and dived down the hole.   
......He had to cough when he got the thick smoke down his lungs. It didn't seem to be real smoke as that coming from a fire, but an oily sickening kind of mist that continuously made him more and more dizzy. Harry could barely see his own hands and stumbled around in the hole, felt a kind of passage and dived into it. He could barely climb on his hands and feet, coughing as he kept on moving. The smoke seemed to come from inside and he tried not to think of what he could find. After all, the tunnel seemed far safer than being out there with the dragon.   
......Merely one second later, he knew he regretted thinking that. Bulgy red eyes were in front of him and Harry stopped as if being paralysed. The ghost was in there, sneering.   
......'Good ghost,' said Harry, grinning as big droplets of cold sweat started running down his face. 'Nice ghost.'   
......He backed off, fumbling as the tried to grab his wand. There had to be a spell - there had to be.   
......'_Ecto intimidenta!_'   
......A ball of green fire emerged between Harry and the ghost. It spun slowly, sending glittering sparks, squeaking shrilly. Harry stared at the globe, forgetting all about the ghost and how it disappeared through the wall of the passage in deep alarm. The ball kept spinning and squeaking for a short moment after the ghost had gone, and then it vanished completely. Harry's heart was beating hard when he realized what it suggested. The spell had not summoned Egon, but the best way to intimidate ghosts. It meant ...   
......'Egon,' he whispered. 'It can't be true.'   
......He blinked several times, lying to himself when he said he got tears in his eyes because of the smoke. Harry put the wand in his pocket, proceeded deeper into the heart of the stone structure and stumbled across something firm that gave away just slightly. It was Hermione, and she wasn't moving.   
......Harry called out her name and shook her. There was no reaction and he coughed when he screamed her name over and over again. It was hard to think straight. He put her up against the wall, but her limb body reeled to the side. Something bright deeper inside the tunnel caught his eye, and he knew it must be Egon's hair. Harry hurt his knees when he crept up beside the Ghostbuster, shaking him as well. Egon was damp and cold, not reacting, just like Hermione. His glasses had broken and lay beside him on the stony floor of the tunnel.   
......Fumbling, Harry picked up the red-rimmed glasses and put them in his pocket. He felt very dizzy and looked up at the wall behind Egon, the little he could see of it through the plumes of smoke that kept coming. Harry knew he had to put a stop to the smoke. That was why he had dived down the hole in the first place and the dragon was still out there. Scratching his knees on pebbles with sharp edges, Harry crept over Egon's body and felt the sticky warmth of the smoke pinching his face.   
......There was a small hole from which the smoke was coming, no bigger than his fist. Harry coughed and tried to think straight, but he felt more and more disoriented by every second. He put one hand over the hole, saw the smoke seep out from between his fingers, and searched with his other hand for something on the ground. When he cut himself on a sharp stone, he didn't even notice.   
......At the very moment he knew he was going to pass out, his fingers came across a particular stone that was about the size of a bludger. It was nice and round, seeming to fit the hole just right. Teary eyed, Harry fought the coughs and removed his hand from the hole, gasping when a cloud of smoke hit him right in the face like a fist. The last thing he knew before he lost consciousness was that he had to plug the hole with the stone.   
......Then he knew nothing more.   
......'Harry!'   
......The world came back to him a bit at the time. It was pleasantly dark no matter if he had his eyes closed or if they were open. Someone was leaning over him. No - several persons were leaning over him. Harry coughed effortlessly and the people started cheering.   
......'He's all right!'   
......'Way ter go, Harry!'   
......He knew that voice. It was Hagrid, but the other voices he wasn't sure of.   
......'You should stop smoking, Harry. It isn't good for you.'   
......That voice surely belonged to Ron. Harry smiled and opened his eyes again, seeing Ron's red hair glow in the darkness just above him. Then he remembered everything.   
......'HERMIONE!' Harry called out.   
......The silence was immediate and grabbed Harry's guts like an iron fist. He tried to get up, felt woozy and was told to lie still.   
......'Is she okay? Egon, how's he?'   
......'We've got 'em,' said Hagrid sadly. 'Don't yeh worry.'   
......'Peter took care of the dragon,' said Ray.   
......'He's quite good with that wand,' Winston filled in.   
......'Guys, really - that was nothing,' answered Peter. 'That's the last thing we have to talk about now, isn't it?'   
......'When yeh plugged that hole, we got clear sight an' could take care o' the dragon,' said Hagrid. 'Peter's a real Whinniepuff, that's fer sure!'   
......'But Hermione ... and Egon ...' said Harry, trying to look around. 'Where are they? I want to see them.'   
......Harry sat up, much against Hagrid's will, and saw his two friends just next to him on his left. They were lying motionless on the ground, much as if they were sleeping. Harry looked at them for what felt like ages, before he looked at the Ghostbusters.   
......'Are they ... are they really ...?'   
......They all stared at the ground, Hagrid searching his pockets for his big handkerchief until Peter had to give it back to him. He blew his nose and tried to speak without hiccupping.   
......'They ain't breathin', they ain't. How am I s'posed ter explain this? I was s'posed ter take care o' yeh!'   
......'Don't blame yourself,' said Winston. 'We got here as fast as we could, didn't we? I brought that ghost here. It's my fault, if anybody's.'   
......'But it was me throwin' out that lil' smokin' box from me cabin!' sobbed Hagrid.   
......'There was no way you could know what would happen,' comforted Peter.   
......'Hermione?' whispered Harry in her unhearing ear. 'Herm, wake up - please wake up.'   
......She hated when people called her Herm, Harry knew that, but still he used the abbreviation. He picked up her wand from his pocket and put it on her chest.   
......'Herm, please take the wand. It's yours. You'll need it in class.'   
......'Don't ...'   
......Harry froze and stared at her. He was certain that had been her feeble voice, but he couldn't see her lips move. Shivering, he bent over and put his ear to her chest.   
......'Don't ... call me Herm,' she uttered weakly.   
......Harry got up, cheering like crazy. The others looked at him and seemed to think he had lost his marbles.   
......'She speaks! She SPEAKS! She's all right!'   
......'Hermione, say something!' yelled Ron to her, slumping down by her side. 'It's me, Ron!'   
......'So you know your name,' said Hermione softly and coughed. 'Good for you.'   
......All of them were dancing around for a bit, until they noticed that Egon was coughing and coming to his senses. That was when they started cheering and dancing even more.   
......'Egon, you're back!' said Peter and sat down beside him. 'How do you feel?'   
......'Like the floor of a taxicab,' answered Egon and smiled. 'This gives nausea a deeper meaning.'   
......'We thought you were dead!' explained Ray, still having his hands in his hair as if he had forgotten he put them there. 'You really seemed dead, guys!'   
......'It was the smoke,' said Egon and coughed. 'We eventually lost consciousness, and then - well, then we kept inhaling it until there were no life signs.'   
......'I'll buy yeh all a round down at the pub!' said Hagrid, grinning sheepishly under his black beard. 'We'll have ter celebrate!'   
......'First we'll have to get out of here,' said Ron. 'Can you walk?'   
......Hermione shook her head, looking green in the face.   
......'We'll stay her fer a bit,' said Hagrid. 'Peter's defeated the Dragon o' the Nerve-racking Knoll an' I think there are no other dangers up here.'   
......'The dragon?' echoed Egon, putting his broken glasses back on his nose when Harry gave them to him.   
......'Can't we just forget about that part?' pleaded Peter.   
......'Tell me!' asked Hermione, interested in spite of her greenish pale looks.   
......'With the wand!' said Ray, pointing at the rugged wand of the ghost witch that Peter still held in his hand.   
......'You defeated a dragon with _that_ wand?' asked Harry, seeming not to believe what he was told. 'You never even practised magic!'   
......'Well, er -' started Peter in embarrassment, looking at the wand that almost had snapped in two. 'It doesn't take much magic to shove a stick up a dragon snout.'   
......'It took off!' exclaimed Ray. 'I'm sure it won't come back in awhile, because it brought the nest.'   
......'No eggs left,' whined Hagrid. 'Not a single one!'   
......They had to laugh when they saw how Hagrid deeply regretted that the chance of getting a dragon baby had escaped him.   
......Once Hermione and Egon felt well enough to start descending the Nerve-racking Knoll, they reached the relative safety of the Forbidden Forest. Peter had insisted that he wanted to bring the sooty old broomstick, 'for good luck's sake'. They had barely made up their mind what way must be the right one, when a man greeted them from behind a bush. He was black-haired and wild-looking, wearing no clothes as far as they could see, but most of his body was hidden behind that bush.   
......'What are you doing here? Don't you know that Saturn is entering Pisces?'   
......'It slipped me mind,' said Hagrid heartily. 'Nice ter meet yeh, Bane.'   
......'Students at the Nerve-racking Knoll at midnight,' said Bane and shook his head. 'You should know better, Hagrid.'   
......'At least it ain't full-moon,' tried Hagrid. 'Them werewolves aren't out.'   
......'The moon is in Sagittarius,' said Bane. 'That alone is reason to worry.'   
......He stepped out from behind the bush, making the Ghostbusters gasp. Ron, Hermione and Harry had already met Bane and weren't surprised to see that he had the upper body of a man, but the lower body of a horse.   
......'A centaur!' exclaimed Ray.   
......'Indeed, sir,' said Bane and nodded decorously. 'May I escort you back to Hogwarts? I suspect that is where you wish to go.'   
......'We were on our way,' said Hagrid. 'That's nice o' yeh, Bane, ter make us company.'   
......Bane smiled and reared a bit. His horse body was as black as his hair and reflected the moonlight. He waited for them to gather and then he trotted ahead of them, making way through the forest.   
......'Wait!' begged Hermione. 'Not that fast!'   
......'She ain't well,' Hagrid called out to Bane. 'Can yeh trot a bit slower?'   
......Bane turned around, went back and took a good look at Hermione.   
......'Hagrid, what are you thinking of, taking an ill student this far out in the Forbidden Forest?' Bane scolded him.   
......'I didn't - and fer fact, she wasn't ill until she got here,' explained Hagrid.   
......'Very well,' snapped Bane.   
......'Look!' said Winston, pointing at something that was barely visible behind tree trunks and bushes. 'Isn't that -'   
......'A horse with a candle on its forehead,' said Peter.   
......'It's a unicorn,' reminded Egon.   
......The shy animal shook its silvery mane and looked at them with its mild black eyes. Bane talked to it, making it come forward.   
......'This is Hoary,' Bane introduced the unicorn. 'He's a bit bashful, so be gentle.'   
......Egon took a few steps and put out his hand to let the unicorn sniff it. Hoary puffed and whinnied so softly that it sounded like he was singing. Then, the snow-white unicorn lowered itself on to its front legs.   
......'An honour!' said Bane, seeming astounded. 'He offers you to ride him!'   
......Ray had put his hand over his mouth, staring at Egon. He seemed more shocked than the situation gave him a reason to be.   
......'If so,' grumbled Bane, 'I don't see why I shouldn't offer you the same.'   
......He let Hermione climb him and she seemed very pleased to sit on Bane's back. Peter was still looking at the unicorn, which now carried Egon, and tried to touch its muzzle.   
......'You can't do that, Peter,' said Ray. ......   
......Hoary backed off and snorted, shaking his head. Bane smiled oddly and disappeared, making them scramble to catch up.   
......'The unicorn must have noticed that Egon wasn't feeling well,' said Winston.   
......'Mmmmh,' answered Ray as he climbed over a log. 'Maybe.'   
......'Bane!' said someone right in front of them. 'What is that you have on your back? Are you a common mule?'   
......'Firenze,' sighed Bane. 'I thought we reached an understanding in this matter years ago.'   
......The centaur Firenze showed himself, having white-blond hair and a palomino body. Firenze looked younger than Bane and seemed amused in a dignified way.   
......'Ronan and I read the stars - we knew great things were going to happen here tonight,' said Firenze.   
......'Ruddy star-gazers,' muttered Hagrid with a smile.   
......'Though we didn't expect it to be Bane acting like the common mule,' added a redheaded bearded centaur with a chestnut body, emerging from the forest.   
......'Hullo Ronan,' Hagrid greeted the centaur.   
......'Grand things have indeed happened,' said Bane as he kept on moving. 'The plague of the Nerve-racking Knoll is no more! The greatest of Dragon Slayers have defeated the Queen Dragon!'   
......'Come on,' muttered Peter. 'Stop it.'   
......'What about the Smoke of Serene Sleep?' asked Firenze.   
......'Gone!' said Bane. 'Witches and wizards shall no longer die on the Nerve-racking Knoll.'   
......'Harry stopped the smoke,' said Hagrid proudly.   
......'Harry Potter,' said Ronan and looked at the boy with the jet-black hair. 'We shall ask the stars to protect you.'   
......'Thanks,' said Harry. 'I might need that ... especially when Professor Dumbledore finds out about us being in the Forbidden Forest around midnight.'   
......'He'll expel us!' said Hermione, turning around to face the others. 'What about making the Ghostbusters come here? He'll forbid us to ever use magic again!'   
......'It could be worse,' said Hagrid. 'Yeh get used to it.'   
......Hermione seemed to think there was nothing that could possibly be worse, but chose not to say anything more. The Forbidden Forest was peaceful enough when they had their three centaur cicerones to lead the way, along with the unusually big unicorn. They barely noticed that they had almost reached the brim of the Forest - not until they stepped out on the grassy open space and faced the sleeping Hogwarts castle.   
......'This is as far as we go,' said Bane and let Hermione slide off his back.   
......'See yeh around,' said Hagrid when the three centaurs and the unicorns turned around and disappeared back into the Forest.   
......They were talking to each other about what had happened during that long evening, talking so intensively that they didn't notice the small group of people standing outside Hogwarts. It seemed as if they had been waiting for them.   
......'So, what do you have to say for your defence?'   
......The cold voice made them stop and stare. Professor Severus Snape's grim face was barely visible in the moonlight, but Harry wished he hadn't seen it at all.   
......'Come inside ... we have to talk. Now.'   
......Professor Minerva McGonagall's mouth was so thin that it seemed as if she didn't have any lips at all. Her glasses reflected the pale light and made it impossible to see her eyes. Ron gulped.   
......They said nothing more while they entered Hogwarts and went to an empty room, a place which was meant for teachers only. Professor McGonagall asked them sternly to sit down. Hagrid remained standing, worried that he might ruin the furniture.   
......'Explain,' demanded Professor McGonagall.   
......'Don' do this to 'em!' said Hagrid, pulling his hair from nervousness. 'Professor McGonagall, I take the blame entirely!'   
......'Silence, Rubeus Hagrid,' snapped Professor McGonagall. 'I want to hear what these three students have to say.'   
......'Who'd want to begin?' said Snape grimly. 'Harry Potter, perhaps?'   
......Harry stared at Snape and wondered how that dark-haired teacher could hate him so much.   
......'Yes, why don't you begin?' agreed Professor McGonagall.   
......'We had to save Hermione from the class seven,' said Harry and looked at his shoes.   
......'Excuse me - class seven, you said?'   
......'It's a free floating spectre,' Egon filled in. 'I too was held hostage, together with Hermione.'   
......Professor McGonagall seized Egon's glasses as if she had done it hundreds of times and no longer was aware of repeating the procedure. She eyed him while she tapped the glasses with her wand, mending them, before she gave them back to Egon.   
......'Do I dare to ask who you might be?' she asked Egon.   
......'We're the Ghostwizards,' said Winston.   
......'It's not true,' said Egon. 'We're better known as the Ghostbusters.'   
......Hermione gasped and put her hand over her mouth, staring at Egon and the two professors.   
......'The Ghostbusters,' sneered Snape. 'I know of them. They're Muggles.'   
......'Muggles?' repeated Professor McGonagall, seeming as if she had eaten a lemon.   
......'Not me,' said Peter and waved about with the tattered wand.   
......'How did you come to Hogwarts?' asked Snape. 'It was you, Potter, wasn't it?'   
......'It wasn't Harry,' said Hermione softly and looked up at Snape. 'It was me.'   
......'Hermione!' warned Ron, wanting them to stick together.   
......They got interrupted by a swoosh from the fireplace. A light shone upon them and then a tall man in purple robes stepped out of the big fireplace. He smiled and stroke his very long white beard.   
......'I see I come just in time,' said Professor Albus Dumbledore.   
......'Professor!' said Snape, not sounding all too pleased. 'We didn't expect you back until tomorrow!'   
......'I have done what I was supposed to do, and I knew I was needed elsewhere,' said Professor Dumbledore and nodded in Harry's direction.   
......'We were talking to these students,' said Snape and smiled sourly. 'They have done something quite unforgivable. There's no question this means they'll have to be expelled.'   
......'Oh, is that so?' said Professor Dumbledore. 'Then, let me hear what they have to say.'   
......'They have been in the Forbidden Forest, it's past midnight, and -' Professor McGonagall had to interrupt herself before she could say the last part '- they made Muggles come to Hogwarts.'   
......'Professor Dumbledore, it wasn' -' objected Hagrid, wringing his handkerchief.   
......'Hagrid!' said Professor McGonagall, making him bite his lip.   
......'It was me, Professor Dumbledore,' whispered Hermione and could barely force herself to look at him. 'Nothing of this would have happened if it wasn't for what I did.'   
......'Just tell me what happened,' said Professor Dumbledore and extracted a mug of hot chocolate from his many pockets. 'You don't look well, take this.'   
......'Thanks,' said Hermione and sipped the hot chocolate. 'It all started when I used this spell to make Peeves leave the corridor. I thought it was harmless, I swear! It made the Ghostbusters appear. I know they're Muggles - I wouldn't have used the spell if I had any idea it would make them appear!'   
......'You are talking about the Ecto Intimidenta spell, right?' asked Professor Dumbledore.   
......'Yes,' confessed Hermione. 'I wanted to send them back right away, but I knew they had to have the Memory Charm put upon them before they left -'   
......'Well, not on me,' said Peter and smiled.   
......' - and I had to wait until you got back,' continued Hermione and looked at Professor Dumbledore. 'We said that the best thing was to keep them at Hagrid's until tomorrow. That's when that class seven, the ghost, got loose -'   
......'That's my fault, Professor!' whined Hagrid.   
......' - and the Ghostbusters had to run after it, so everybody outside Hogwarts could see them because they were looking at the ghost already -'   
......'So that's what it was all about,' said Professor McGonagall. 'I heard some rumours there were dead wizards fighting dead dragons on the Hogwarts lawn.'   
......' - and then the ghost got me,' finished Hermione.   
......'We had ter go find her, Professor!' said Hagrid. 'We couldn't let the ghost take her ter the Forest!'   
......'I had Egon,' said Hermione and shyly took Egon by the hand. 'If I hadn't managed to summon him, I would have died. He saved me.'   
......Egon smiled at her and kept holding her hand, saying nothing.   
......'An' then we ended up at the Nerve-racking Knoll,' said Hagrid. 'Harry stopped the Smoke o' Serene Sleep, Peter fought the dragon - he's a dragonfighter, a good one, a Whinniepuff s'matter o' fact -'   
......'Could you _please_ stop repeating that?' begged Peter.   
......'- and made the Queen Dragon leave the Nerve-racking Knoll!' finished Hagrid.   
......'That's it, basically,' said Ron. 'It's enough for one night, I think.'   
......'See?' said Snape, grinning sinisterly. 'They break more rules in a few hours than most people do in a lifetime! There's surely no other thing to do than have them all expelled.'   
......'Not so fast, Professor Snape,' said Professor Dumbledore. 'I think these students have achieved something great. Something to be quite proud of. They tried to make the best of things when the spell didn't work the way they had planned -'   
......Hermione lit up, smiling happily.   
......'- and they didn't hesitate when they had to rescue a fellow student from a certain death in the Forbidden Forest.'   
......'But surely, Professor -' objected Professor McGonagall.   
......'Of course, you should have asked for help before you rushed deep into the Forest,' said Professor Dumbledore and looked stern. 'It's a forbidden area, you know that.'   
......'I was with them, Professor!' said Hagrid.   
......'It makes it even worse,' said Professor Dumbledore and eyed Hagrid. 'You are certainly old enough to realize that you shouldn't bring students and Muggles to the Forest. I will talk to in private about this.'   
......'Yes, Professor,' mumbled Hagrid and looked at his shoes.   
......'I would have died if they didn't come and save me!' said Hermione, holding Egon by the hand. 'So would Egon! There was no time to ask for help.'   
......'She's right,' said Ron.   
......'Is that so?' said Professor McGonagall.   
......'It is,' said Harry. 'I stopped the Smoke of Serene Sleep just in time to save them, I know that.'   
......'The Smoke of Serene Sleep,' said Professor Dumbledore and smiled dreamily. 'An old legend that is, hundreds and hundreds of years. Did you find the treasure?'   
......'What treasure?' repeated Harry, dumbfounded.   
......'The treasure down the hole, that the Queen Dragon of the Nerve-racking Knoll is guarding,' explained Professor Dumbledore.   
......'I didn't see any treasure,' said Harry.   
......'The Emerald of Emelda,' Professor Snape spat out. 'Didn't you learn that in class? Don't you remember anything?'   
......'I read about that,' said Hermione. 'The Emerald of Emelda is precious to every witch and wizard. Many have tried to find it, but no one has succeeded. It isn't certain what powers it can give the person who owns it, but the legends say that they will be famous and never have to suffer the toil of common life again.'   
......As usual, she sounded as she had swallowed her textbook.   
......'I don't want to be more famous,' sighed Harry and scratched his scar.   
......'Are you sure you didn't see it?' said Hermione, seeming a bit annoyed that she had been down the hole, but unconscious and thus unable to look for the Emerald herself. 'It's said to be deeply green, round, exactly the size of your heart.'   
......'Uh-oh,' said Harry.   
......'Uh-oh what?' wondered Ron.   
......'That's what I used to plug the hole.'   
......'Harry!' sighed Hermione. 'You put the Emerald of Emelda in a _hole_?'   
......'Nothing else fit,' said Harry and smiled with a shrug. 'Besides, I found a much bigger treasure, which I actually managed to bring up the hole.'   
......'What's that?' asked Hermione.   
......'You two,' said Harry and looked at her and Egon.   
......'I've heard enough,' said Professor Dumbledore and stroke his beard. 'Of course you'll have to be punished. Fifty points will be taken off Gryffindor.'   
......'WHAT!' screamed Harry, Ron and Hermione.   
......'Fifty points each,' added Professor Dumbledore.   
......'Excellent!' purred Snape. 'Now, what about expelling them?'   
......'They'll have to leave,' said Professor Dumbledore.   
......'Oh no!' whined Ron. 'Mum will kill me!'   
......'For bed,' continued Professor Dumbledore. 'But first, I have to give you some points for courage and standing up for friends. How about... ninety-eight?'   
......'Yes!' cheered Ron.   
......' Taking care of the Queen Dragon of the Nerve-racking Knoll is worth eighteen more points.'   
......'We're down to just thirty-four points off Gryffindor,' whispered Ron. 'That's better than I expected.'   
......'Then, I'll give you five more points, just to make it even.'   
......'Twenty-nine?' whispered Ron, counting again.   
......'There is just one more thing I have to say,' said Professor Dumbledore. 'Let me say it right now: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!'   
......'He's a bit mad, isn't he?' whispered Peter to Harry.   
......'A bit,' answered Harry.   
......Professor McGonagall smiled, expecting more.   
......'Besides from that, we have to work on a solution of getting you home,' added Professor Dumbledore. 'Because you are the Ghostbusters, I see no meaning in putting the Memory Charm on you. There's no reason people would believe anything you say.'   
......'Yes!' said Hermione, hugging Egon. 'You'll remember me! I mean, us!'   
......'Good,' said Peter and looked at his wand. 'Now I don't have to pretend nothing ever happened.'   
......'You old dragonslayer you,' said Winston and jabbed Peter.   
......'Watch out, or I might put my old dragonspell on you,' smiled Peter and tapped Winston's nose with his withered old wand.   
......'Professor Dumbledore,' said Hermione and waved her mug. 'Professor, don't forget you have to do something about the Ecto Intimidenta spell, or the Ghostbusters will keep appearing whenever wizards want to use it.'   
......'Good thinking, Hermione,' said Professor Dumbledore. 'Actually there is no reason to. As you know, I am member of the International Confederation of Wizards and a Supreme Mugwump. For the past two days I have been working on the spells regarding how to deal with the supernatural. We were done tonight, and I am quite pleased to announce that there now is a most refined way to scare off ghosts.'   
......'There is?' gasped Ray, on his toes.   
......'It will have replaced the outcome of the Ecto Intimidenta spell,' said Professor Dumbledore. 'It summoned the Ghostbusters, am I right? Ever since they reached this degree of skilfulness that they now possess, which must be quite recently?'   
......'Well, it was summoning Egon,' informed Hermione and smiled at the blond Ghostbuster.   
......'Yeah, just rub it in,' said Peter.   
......'Oh!' exclaimed Harry, coming to think of something. 'Don't tell me - it's a green squeaking orb, right?'   
......'Yes!' said Professor Dumbledore, seeming pleased. 'I see you have already had the opportunity to use it?'   
......'I have,' said Harry. 'It worked just great. I happened to summon it down the hole of the Nerve-racking Knoll, when I thought that would make Egon appear. It made me believe that Egon had died. Now when I think of it, if Egon was really dead, then it would have summoned the other Ghostbusters instead - not an orb.'   
......'Exactly,' said Professor Dumbledore. 'It was finished and fine-tuned late this evening, and we refer to it as The Spook Sphere of the Sphinx.'   
......'Names,' grinned Peter. 'You just love all the names, don't you?'   
......'Well,' said Professor McGonagall. 'It's way past bedtime and you have to march straight to your dormitories. There, there! No reason to wait!'   
......'No!' said Hermione, holding Egon's hand even harder. 'This means the Ghostbusters have to leave?'   
......'I'll see to that,' said Professor Dumbledore. 'I'll send them back exactly where the spell took them from.'   
......'Fifth Avenue?' said Peter. 'I don't think so. Can't you make me appear just next to my bed? It would save me a lot of time, see, and that's where I'd like to be.'   
......'We have to get our protonpacks,' said Ray. 'They're in Hagrid's cabin.'   
......'I'll send your protonpacks as well, you don't have to go fetch them,' said Professor Dumbledore. 'Now, is there anything else you've got to do? No?'   
......'Egon,' said Hermione and hugged him. 'Will I ever see you again?'   
......'I'm positive,' answered Egon and returned her hug.   
......'I can't take goodbyes,' sobbed Hagrid and blew his nose.   
......'Keep up Quidditch,' said Peter to Harry. 'Get that Golden Snitch for me, will ya?'   
......'Sure,' said Harry. 'You practise and you'll meet me in the World Series - England versus the States, right? You've got a broomstick, so use it.'   
......'This old stem,' laughed Peter and looked at the battered broomstick of the ghost witch that he held in his hand. 'I'll call it Ecto 2000.'   
......'You can keep the broomstick and the wand,' said Professor Dumbledore and nodded warmly. 'After all, I learned you're a wizard.'   
......'Yes,' said Peter and smiled. 'I am a wizard.'   
......They all hugged each other, saying they would meet again soon - somewhere, some day. Hagrid was still blowing his nose when the Ghostbusters lined up in front of the fireplace.   
......'Ready?' asked Professor Dumbledore.   
......'Ready,' said Egon.   
......'Goodbye,' whispered Hermione when Professor Dumbledore flicked his wand and the Ghostbusters disappeared. 

**------- THE END -------**   
  
  


_Written by Campi   
November 11, 12 and 19,   
plus December 9 and 31, 2000._

[http://www.egon.spengler.as][2]

   [1]: http://www.bloomsbury.com/harrypotter
   [2]: http://www.egon.spengler.as



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